Michael Jackson's Death » this is it

Jackson Makes Third on Forbes “Deleb” List

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:58:51 +0000

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – Even before the “This Is It” opening, Michael Jackson had earned $90 million in the past year, with most of it coming since his death five months ago.

That sizable sum put him third on the Forbes list of dead celebrities making the most money.

Jackson earned less than the $350 million that fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent scored in the past year, and the $235 million earned by the songwriting duo Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.

Forbes counted money earned from October 2008-October 2009, even for Jackson, who died June 25. But about $72 million — or 80% of the $90 million earned in the past 12 months — came after Jackson’s death, said a spokesperson for GreenLight, a consultancy company that represents “delebs,” their term for dead celebrities still earning money.

Given that the Forbes countdown year starts in October, this makes it look like Michael Jackson will most likely make next year’s list as well, since “This Is It” will still be available for theatre viewing well into next month.

Thriller In 3-D?

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:43:09 +0000

CINEMA BLEND – Michael Jackson’s concert documentary This Is It will arrive in theaters next week and it contains more than a few surprises. We talked with the film’s director Kenny Ortega and choreographer/associate producer Travis Payne today, and they revealed that before Jackson died, they filmed brand new versions of Michael’s most well known and iconic music videos for inclusion with the concert. In particular, if you buy a ticket for Michael Jackson’s This Is It you’ll also see, for the first time ever, brand new, re-imagined music videos for “Thriller”, “Man in the Mirror”, and “Earth Song”.

The intention was to use the new videos as transitions into the performed versions of the songs, transitions that are a long way from the original. Payne promises that the new “Thriller” is nothing like the boy on the date with the girl, while at the same time, “We didn’t touch what we considered the sacred inside of it.” And while the new version of “Thriller” and the other songs will be screened with This Is It in plain old 2D next week, that’s not how they were intended to be seen, and that might not be the last we see of them either. Read on…

This should most certainly be interesting! The article goes on to say that even This Is It could end up in 3-D, along with music videos that were originally intended to play during the concert. Very interesting indeed.

Movie Already Topping “Twilight”

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:31:07 +0000

Only a week and a half to go until the highly anticipated Jackson film “This Is It” is released!

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Advance sales for “This Is It” look set to make the concert movie starring the late Michael Jackson into one of the hottest tickets of the year.

Two weeks ahead of its opening, the singer’s concert movie “This Is It” has generated more than 1,600 sold out U.S. show times and is the top seller this week at two major online ticket outlets.

That puts “This Is It” in the same territory as next month’s highly anticipated “Twilight” sequel “New Moon” and other films that have generated high pre-release sales.

“The pre-sales activity all over the world has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Steve Elzer, a spokesman for Sony Corp-owned Columbia Pictures, the studio behind the film, told Reuters.

“But exhibitors have really met the demand by adding screens, and tickets are available for anyone who would want to see it, anytime,” Elzer said.

“This Is It” is composed of footage of the “Thriller” singer rehearsing for a series of London comeback concerts just before his unexpected June 25 death, at age 50, from an overdose of powerful medication.

The studio has said the 112-minute movie will have a limited two-week engagement around the world, starting October 28. Read on…